Military Service and Sacrifice

Members of the Escuadron 201 fought alongside U.S. forces during World War II. ©USAAF

Hispanic Americans have served bravely and honorably in every American conflict, from the Revolutionary War to the present day, embodying the ideals of resilience, patriotism and unity that are central to the Latino experience. Their courage, heroism, and sacrifice have indelibly shaped our nation, helping to advance and expand America’s interests and values across the globe.

Latinos in the Armed Forces

Latinos are over-represented in the largest branches of the military. As of 2023, Latinos were nearly 17% of the adult (18+) population and about 16% of all active duty military – numbering 314,000, including more than 18% of active duty members of the Army and Navy and nearly 28% of Marines. The U.S. has more than 1.3 million Latino veterans.¹

S.C. National Guard Soldiers, Airmen, and civilian employees at a Hispanic Heritage Month event. ©U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Staff Sgt. Roby Di Giovine

Service in Various Wars

Latinos served in the Revolutionary War and every major war since then, in all branches. Exact numbers are difficult to determine because with the exception for the 65th Infantry Regiment from Puerto Rico, Latinos were not placed in separate units. Estimates are:²

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in Operation Desert storm/Desert Shield

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in Vietnam

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in the Korean War

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In World War II

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in World War I

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for the Union in the Civil War ³

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in the Revolutionary War, including soldiers and sailors from Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic

DID YOU KNOW?

Latinos have served in every major U.S. war ⁴

Cuban-born Federico Fernández Cavada served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Immigrant Soldiers

About 500,000 immigrants joined the armed services in 1917 – about 18% of U.S. troops — and 300,000 in World War II, 109,000 of them noncitizens. Over 100,000 noncitizens received naturalization for their WWII service, as did 31,000 foreign-born soldiers from the Korean War. In 2016, there were over half a million foreign-born veterans living in the U.S., and 1.5 million veterans had at least one immigrant parent.⁵

Honors

Hispanics are among the most decorated ethnic group in U.S., history, with 61 Medal of Honor recipients, 15 of them born outside the U.S. mainland – 8 in Puerto Rico, 5 in Mexico, and 1 each in Chile and Spain.

DID YOU KNOW?

Latinos are among the most decorated ethnic group in U.S. history with more than 60 Medal of Honor recipients and countless Purple Hearts ⁶

Marcelino Serna, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was the most decorated Texan of World War I. 

Footnotes

1. “Hispanics and Latinos in the Military Population, The Latin Times, May 2, 2023, https://www.latintimes.com.
2. See “America’s Hispanics in America’s Wars,” Army Magazine, and “Los Veteranos – Latinos in WWII,” National World War II Museum, https://www.nationalww2museum.org.
3. “Hispanic Americans in the Civil War,” United States Army National Museum, https://www.thenmusa.org.
4. “American Latino Theme Study: Military,” National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov.
5. “Immigrants in the Military: A History of Service,” Bipartisan Policy Center, August 16, 2017, https://bipartisanpolicy.org.
6. 60 Hispanic / Latino Medal of Honor Recipients, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, https://www.cmohs.org.

Military Service and Sacrifice

Military Service and Sacrifice

Latinos in the Armed Forces

Service in Various Wars

DID YOU KNOW?

Latinos have served in every major U.S. war 4

Immigrant Soldiers

Honors

DID YOU KNOW?

Latinos are among the most decorated ethnic group in U.S. history with more than 60 Medal of Honor recipients and countless Purple Hearts 6

Latinos have served in every major U.S. war ⁴

Latinos are among the most decorated ethnic group in U.S. history with more than 60 Medal of Honor recipients and countless Purple Hearts ⁶